Pillar Blasts Way Into Record Books With Solo Home Run in 3-2 Win Over Coyotes

Pillar proudly displays his home run and 24th straight game with a hit ball after the game.

Box Score

CARSON -- It took a full eight innings, but Kevin Pillar landed his 24th straight game with a hit, setting a new Toro record with full fanfare as he sent a 2-2 pitch deep over center field to bring in the go-ahead run for the Cal State Dominguez Hills baseball team as they took a 3-2 decision over the Coyotes of Cal State San Bernardino.

In what looked to be a repeat to the start of yesterday's contest, the Toros placed runners on second and third in their first inning at-bat before stranding both to close the first inning without any runs.

The Coyotes struck in the second using four singles to bring home two runs, with Ryan Hulbert scoring first off a James Kono slice up the middle.

For the next three frames the Toros were unable to produce, before a Dean Benavidez double in the fifth brought in the first Toro run, before Benavidez would score for number two on a Carlos Leyva RBI double.

CSUDH battled hard to grab the winning run, twice placing runners in scoring position after that.

The Toros got the only other run they would need as Pillar took to the dish as the lead-off batter in the eighth, belting a solo shot well over the 400-foot fence in dead center to set a new record for straight games with a hit at 24.

Even with the winning run the Toros were unable to add insurance, being shut down in the eighth with the bases juiced.

Starting in action, Shane Youngdale logged in 8.1 innings of duty, fanning one batter, before handing over the ball to Matt Phillips, who would come in with one out to face only four batters, silencing the last on a strikeout and saving the Toro win.

Brandon Cunniff was tagged with his first loss of the season for the Coyotes, fanning three batters and scattering nine hits in seven innings of work.

Narrowly out-hitting the visitors on an 11-10 margin, CSUDH was led by Leyva with a 2-of-3 effort and one RBI and Benavidez's 2-of-4 with one run and RBI.

The Toros now stand with a 17-9 overall mark and 12-6 in the CCAA. Games three and four of the series will be played at Cal State San Bernardino with live audio available on GoToros.com/Live.

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